Papa Murphy's adding 15 stores

Papa Murphy's, the market leader in the fast-growing "take and bake" pizza genre, has announced expansion plans for the metro Phoenix market that include up to 15 new outlets this year.

The locations sell freshly made pizzas that are carried out and baked at home.

The Vancouver, Wash.-based company has opened 26 stores in the Phoenix area since entering the market in 2006 and is now making a push to take advantage of low real-estate prices to fill in coverage gaps.

The company opened a franchised store in Queen Creek in January, with a Glendale outlet set to come on line by the end of March and a Chandler store opening planned for mid-May.

Papa Murphy's Chief Development Officer Kevin King said 12 more stores are on the drawing board for openings later this year.

The 15 Phoenix-area stores are among 95 to 100 new locations the company plans to open around the country this year.

King said there are about 1,300 Papa Murphy's outlets in 37 states, making it the nation's fifth-largest pizza chain. A typical location employs about 10 people.

While competitors such a Pizza Hut, Domino's and Papa John's bake pizzas for in-store consumption, takeout and delivery, Papa Murphy's doesn't bake its pizzas at all. They're prepared to be baked at home for 12 minutes in a customer's 425-degree oven.

The dough is rolled out and flipped at the stores. Sauces are applied and toppings and cheeses loaded on before the package is placed in a special baking pan and wrapped up for carry-out.

"It's homemade pizza without all the work," King said.

Customers can order a 12-inch, 14-inch or 16-inch pizza to their specifications or pick one from a Papa Murphy's menu of standard recipes and seasonal specials. A 14-inch pizza with one topping typically sells for around $8, less with coupons the company makes available on its website and through direct mailings.

The preassembled pizzas can keep refrigerated for 48 hours, but the company does not recommend freezing.

Dave Ostrander, a food-service consultant who also goes by the name "Pizza Doctor," called take-and-bake, in a report, the next trend in the pizza industry.

"I'm not saying it's going to take over our industry," he wrote. But he added the new take-and-bake locations are going take business away from traditional pizza outlets and suggested those businesses incorporate take-and-bake products into their offerings.

King noted that the trends toward fresh ingredients and healthier eating also have propelled Papa Murphy's growth.

"People who used to buy frozen pizzas or have them delivered are now buying fresh pizzas and baking them at home," he said.

The trend also has led to numerous competitors entering the market.

They include chains such as Pizza Fresh, which has two locations in the Phoenix area, and Nick-N-Willy's Pizza, with a store in Prescott.

King noted that most of the other take-and-bake players are relatively small regional companies.